Shrinkage Cracking Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Concrete: As Assessed Using the Restrained Ring Test

Abstract

The restrained shrinkage ring test has been used to assess the shrinkage cracking potential of concrete mixtures and to assess the influence of mixture proportions, admixtures, and the use of fiber reinforcement on shrinkage cracking. However, further work is still needed to link the shrinkage cracking performance of fiber reinforced concrete as evaluated using the restrained ring test to the behavior of these mixtures in different size concrete elements in the field. This study used finite element analysis to investigate the cracking behavior of restrained rings of different sizes. The results indicated that due to damage localization the crack widths that develop in the restrained rings are greatly dependent on the size of the restrained ring, the degree of restraint, and the softening behavior of the concrete. This size dependence would influence the performance that would be expected in the field.